“Will you guys at least let me explain myself before trying to decapitate me? Honest to fucking god, the goblins and, yes, the gnolls, would love nothing better than for us to all destroy each other!”

The entire party, however, was busy staring at his hand, now effortlessly gripping the shaft of Yuki’s naginata, just before the crackling blade now bleeding obsidian death, could score his flesh.

Jack’s eyes were wide. “Fuck. How the fuck did he move so fast? Yuki! You had a blade to his throat! Why isn’t he bleeding out?”

“I don’t know!” Yuki shouted, eyes wide with disbelief. “He moved faster than I could fucking twitch! And I’m behind him… was behind him,” She said as Eric calmly shifted his grip, 265 strength utterly overwhelming her own. “My weapon should be slipping out of his hand!” She cried, now not holding back from jerking frantically on her blade… not budging Eric more than half an inch of give he calmly reclaimed with every jerk.

“I knew this asshole was trouble!” Ron snarled, his sword and shield glowing with a warrior’s perks as Richard began to chant and the entire group began to glow.

“Unhand her naginata or I’ll kill you hear and now!” Jack roared, readying his javelin once more.

“Silence!” Eric shouted, revealing his full killing aura, no longer holding back.

And the surprised looks on everyone’s faces when the blanched and stepped back in stunned speechlessness caught even Eric off guard.

Dominion’s Command Modified by Dragon Fear and pristine Killing Aura! +5 modifier for a perfectly reasonable request!

Your opponents have failed to save!

“Can we just please put a pause on the inevitable tragic misunderstanding and meaningless death and bitter enmity scene, because I fucking promise you that if this were a movie, the next scene would cut to a bunch of goblins seers cackling that they managed to have the most elite team of Terrans this side of the northeast get butchered by someone who I’ll bet in any other situation would have become a brother-in-arms. Hell, if you can put up with my dorky bullshit, maybe even a friend. And they’d be fucking thrilled to get us to spill each other's guts without technically violating their oaths!”

Eric implored them with his gaze, desperate to reach them, praying they could think beyond the animal terror his exquisite Perception made clear they were now all feeling.

“Please, just relax and take a deep breath… and let me explain. Yes, I do have ties to the Sylvan alliance, but I am most definitely not fighting under their banner! As far as I’m concerned, I’m strictly a free agent, no matter how much they’ve tried to recruit me, and they’ve tried, better fucking believe it. And as far as the slave trading CSA assholes are concerned, I hate their tyrannical government making more of a mockery of our former great country than every corrupt president ever to sit in the oval office!” Eric flicked the collar still on his neck with his free hand. “The first time I ever wore a collar, I was a level nine Conscript with a massive CSA bounty on my ass being being hunted down by four level thirty assholes!”

He took a deep breath, seeking calm, trying by his slow breathing, relaxed position and intent gaze to coax them into calming down as well.

Of course, Ron was the first to speak. “Who the fuck are you, and how the hell did you do that?”

Eric flashed a bitter smile. “I’m someone that our enemies, all the humanoid fucks that invaded this planet, will do whatever they can to destroy.” He locked gazes with the man. “Just like they’d happily do to you and all your friends, no matter what so called ‘accords’ or ‘contracts’ they swear to abide. If you think they’ll honor them in good faith, then I have a string of territories to sell you!”

He gestured grandly to the massive chamber they all found themselves in. “Which is how this whole conversation in the middle an Orange tier maze came about. It’s why they chose this delve, of all places, to force me into. Because if they can fuck you over and break your party, they win. And if they can get elite humans to blame eachother for the shit going down so that they kill each other off and weaken themselves while our enemies prepare for the second wave of aliens who’ll soon be coming to stake their own claims on our planet… then that’s all the better for them.”

Richard was gazing at him with an odd mixture of fear and respect. “You’re a Contender.”

Eric sighed, before acknowledging the truth with a dip of his head, still honoring them with the truth.

Yuki gave a bitter snort. “Of course he’s a fucking Contender. This monster’s twice as fast as me and at least twice as strong, and I still can’t get control of my...” She lurched back when Eric casually let go.

Yuki huffed while Jack smiled. “Thanks. And I can still cut your head off if you give us shit, you know,” she snapped.

Eric nodded. “I’m pretty sure you can. Anyway, I’m trying to avoid the whole blood and guts tragic ending. Going for a diplomatic resolution. I know it’s a pain when playing SkyDragon. There, it’s far easier to just murderhobo for levels and glory. But since we’re actual real living breathing people, and our hopes and dreams matter… I’m going for diplo 100% right now.”

Steve’s eyes widened. “Fuck, fuck fuck fuck! Is the game real? Were we isekaid, somehow? Was that a fucking Titan Shout you belted out? Are you Titan-Born?”

Eric smirked. “Nope. Dragon Fear aura. Don’t look so shocked. I’m not dragon-blooded...” He frowned thoughtfully. “At least, I don’t think. Anyway, it’s a reward I earned with my last dungeon.”

Ron’s eyes widened. “No fucking way you took out a dragon, kid. No way I’m believing that bullshit!”

Eric shrugged. “That’s cool. You’re free to believe whatever you like.” His gaze hardened. “As long as it doesn’t end with you trying to cut my throat when my only ‘crime’ was getting fucked over by Goblin Inc. and pitching in when you guys looked like you could use a hand.”

Ron crossed his arms while Richard faded back a few feet, clearly comfortable letting the older man play bad cop, and Eric didn’t blame him. It was a good tactic to assure any bad blood was focused only one one obvious tank, while the party as a whole, under Richard’s lead, could sugar coat any rough words and leave any third party with a far better impression of the group as a whole than the one individual who asked the tough questions.

Or at least, that’s what Eric’s Social Perception and ‘Know the Score’ perk hinted was going on. Which made it easier for Eric kept his expression calm as Ron asked what was on all their minds.

“So, who the fuck are you really? What are your ties to the Sylvan alliance? The gnollblood consortium is at war with your kind, and we’re oathbound to fight in the defense of our city, in case any of you assholes actually decide to make a beeline for New York.” He flashed a cold smile. “If that’s your game, I really don’t recommend it. We got a few fresh surprises for any would-be conquerors. Not to mention a whole hell of a lot of levies who will be happy to give you all hell… unless you leave us the fuck alone.”

Steve snorted. “Yeah, surprises of the heavy artillery kind.”

“Shut the fuck up, Steve!” Yuki hissed.

Eric kept his expression benign. “So, let me get this right. You all are oathbound to defend New York from invaders on behalf of the gnollish faction. Am I right?”

“Pretty much, yes,” Richard cut in. “And that’s nothing unusual. Humanoids are hardly the monsters portrayed in World of Warblades. At least if you’re a Classer, you can count on fair treatment for you and yours. But that comes with the understanding that you won’t be committing any self-righteous purges that are just going to get a lot of people unnecessarily killed, and that you’ll defend your home city in times of peril. So long as you abide by that… you can enjoy at least as much freedom and liberty as any European in the Renaissance era could have hoped for.”

“But you don’t have to join them in any campaigns of conquest, right?”

“Nope,” Jack said. “Not unless you want to sign up, where they do make some sweet promises… but again, we’re not stupid. We pay them a cut, and they leave us alone.”

“Until now,” Steve noted, earning pinched looks and bitter nods.

Eric took a deep breath, gazing intently at what he sensed were mostly college-aged adventurers before him. Which was where he would probably be, if life hadn’t thrown such an insane curve-ball their way.

“So let me ask you this. Would that agreement still hold if the other party acted in bad faith? I mean… really, really bad faith.”

A declaration that earned him a hard glare from Ron and a snort from Yuki.

“Specifics, Eric,” Yuki snapped. “What the hell do you mean by bad faith? Because none of us have any plans of breaching contract and risking a massive EX penalty. Not without serious fucking cause.”

Eric shrugged. “Fair enough. Let’s just say that none other than Sylvis himself deigned your guild a threat and was eager to see you dead, yet still smart enough to try to do so in a way that would leave his hands clean, without any technical breach of contract that could shake his position… or enrich your parents.”

His gaze hardened before their looks of surprise, dismay, or scorn. “And let’s just say I’m being dead straight with all of you, and not just blowing smoke up your collective asses. If you found out that your supposed allies were actually eager to see you dead, and happy to bend certain codicils without breaking them, in their own minds at least, would you all feel justified enough that you wouldn’t suffer any experience backlash when your enemies finally reveal themselves to be just that?”

The last handful of words left a definite chill in the air, and Eric would have smacked himself… realizing he should have just left well enough alone.

“How much do you fucking know?” said Richard with a glare, no longer bothering with the good cop role at all.

Eric sighed. “You know how common wisdom is that you’d be absolutely stupid to invest any of your nodes on things like universal languages or ES Spaces that no one can claim? Even if you can grab it right away and not wait til level 10 to open your first node?”

Steve’s eyes widened. “No. You’re not that stupid! It’s clear as shit that your no chump, so why would you...”

Eric flashed a bitter smile. “When Sylvis and his goblin hit squad friends were chatting it up and laughing about how to best get rid of me and fuck over your families while remaining untouchable to retribution… let’s just say I could make out every word they said, in a galactic dialect I’d bet fucking gold that absolutely no one will teach you, here on Earth.” His smile faded. “Every word I spoke to you was the truth. Both goblins and gnolls want you dead, because a powerful guild like you, hosting at least half a dozen cool-ass cats that even I can tell are getting pretty fucking close to level fifty, is a threat they can’t handle with their champions all stuck between levels 25 to 30.”

Yuki gave him a hard look. “Sore wa hontou desu?”

Eric nodded. “Hai. It damn well is true.”

Her eyes widened. “Bullshit.”

Eric smirked. “To be honest, I did pick up a bit for a part I played a few years ago, but everyone spoke too fast for me to make out more than one word in five, when I was last in Tokyo.” He winked. “And thanks for speaking slowly. My comprehension’s picked up a hell of a lot in the last… well, however long ago it’s been since the break.”

Steve gave a dismayed shake of his head. “It doesn’t make sense. All we’ve done is present them with a handsome cut of whatever loot we find that doesn’t give away anything about our actual level or the nature of this delve. We’ve seen nothing and no one! We have scouts outside, and Yuki’s no fool. We made sure to keep our movements slow, our behavior deferential, just in case one of those assholes had some kind of bullshit game-like identify spell! How the fuck could they know our levels without...”

He gazed at Eric with something close to horror. “You know our fucking level.”

Eric flashed a cold smile. “Yeah, I think there’s a reason why they keep access to info so goddamned limited. Experienced players will always have a huge advantage over noobs. Because yes, there are identify-like skills. But it’s risky to use it in combat which happens way too quick… and it requires a certain amount of skill to read a quick flash of info without looking like you’re staring into someone’s soul.”

Steve’s glare intensified. “Okay, genius, what are my stats?”

Eric turned to Richard. “Happy to. But I want your guarantee that this won’t be used as some pretext to cut my head off or otherwise fuck me over.”

Richard’s gave Eric a thoughtful look. “I think it’s pretty clear that we’re past that, Eric, but if you want to amuse Steve, we won’t hold it against you.” He turned to his companion. “Will we, Steve?”

Steve slowly shook his head, for all that Eric could see the tremble in his clenched hands.

“Alright, sure. Steve Warwick. Advanced Classer. Strength is twenty on the nose. Vitality is fifty… good move there, by the way. Nothing beats strong bones and decent regeneration. Important thing is that you all got your Vitalities to forty minimum, which is four health points healed per second. From there the rate slows down to one additional point per ten in Vit.” He smirked at the collective stares this earned and continued. “Finesse is thirty. Since you’re throwing fireballs of black flame I’ll give you a pass, but 40 would be smarter. Quickness is sixty. Now that’s everything! Being fast enough to sense what you’re foe’s going to do and either counter or take advantage of their weaknesses, strike beffore they can even think of countering, that’s everything in a fight. In other words, you’ll always win initiative in the easier dungeons, and that’s everything when you’re a glass cannon with sick spells at your beck and call.”

Steve’s gaze intensified. “I’m no fucking glass cannon, and that’s not everything.”

“True,” Eric said. “But it’s what I can sense. You’re physical stats. I’m guessing that you also have a decent Perception, because you’re not an idiot, and having Finesse and Perception at least halfway close to Quickness will give you an incredible edge in a fight… or, at least it does for me. As for your Arcane Potential, or Mana Pool, or however it shows up on your character sheet, I can’t see a thing. I’m guessing it’s pretty damned high since you’re an Advanced classer and throw balls of black fire.”

He sighed and shook his head at the looks they were giving him. “But who gives a fuck about that? The point isn’t me… it’s the goblins, and the gnoll who made some pretty serious fucking deals with at least some of your parents, who now want out of the bargain, and don’t mind using me as the patsy to keep their hands clean and make it happen.”

His pitying smile hardened. “I have no doubt that Yuki’s a badass. I can see it for myself. But you’re talking about Goblin sages, and somehow they’ve been able to stretch the edicts to squeeze in some seriously over-leveled pieces. That, and their hit squads are specialized at spying on targets and remaining unseen. That’s basically their thing. That, and sniping with arcane blaster rifles while remaining so well hidden that they managed to cripple and pin down the entire Sylvan faction not that long ago. It’s totally their M.O. And if they can pin down an army, I think they can get the best out of one talented mixed-classer who’s not looking that seriously for trouble beyond the dinosaurs grazing near your dungeon entrance.”

His offhand words earned a blush and a hot glare from Yuki, so he quickly spoke on.

“Wake up, kids. They’ve been studying your operation, and they understand the strengths of this Maze type rift at least as well as you do! Namely, that the loot is higher than it should be for a low-average wealth tier dungeon, and that there are no swarms, save for level 15 scavenger rats. The catch is that once you’re in, you’re not getting out til you face the actual dungeon boss or slip by him, so sweet wealth and predictable solo encounters that you can plan for mean absolutely nothing when you’re going to be facing down a boss, assuming you can even find your way out of the maze without a Navigator class, which I only learned today was actually a thing.”

“But you guys found a brilliant hack!” He commended, beaming at them all. “Just split your party so that not quite everyone goes through. Somehow, that locks the maze down. And if you alternate peeps so that there’s always one or two in and one or two out, because your party leader has a full set of nodes or better… then congratulations, you’ve just discovered a backdoor hack to actually surviving and delving safely, even when underleveled in hostile territory!” His smile faded. “But now the goblins and gnolls are just as aware of the potential of this maze as you all are. I’m guessing that Silvis’s spies saw you trading out people, and was smart enough to put two and two together.

“And let’s not forget, the only reason why you can get away with this tactic without setting up a massive operations base here is because this territory is populated mostly by docile herbivores that look a hell of a lot like powered up ankylosauruses that Sylvis himself was bragging are easy enough to counter with trenches and earthernworks, so they have every plan of emulating your own clever strategy for safely ranking up some champions.”

Eric leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. “Only thing is, how fucking likely is it for any scout to find a Maze type dungeon in a high level Orange tier area that’s populated mostly by giant, slow moving herbivores? My guess is… not very fucking likely. And to find such a choice specimen less than a day’s hike from any major population center I’ll put down as minuscule in the likelihood department. So when the gnolls figured out just how sweet a prize this was, in the middle of their territory, and all that was stopping them from taking it over was whatever contracts they had signed with your parents before assuring a bloodless coup of New York, taking you lot out discretely seemed to be the only thing on Silvis’s mind.”

He flashed a bitter smile at Yuki’s glare.

“He’s...”

“That, and torturing the fuck out of me and tearing out my eye, I mean,” he quickly amended… Yuki’s glare turning to a horrified look when she realized that he was absolutely and unequivocally speaking the truth.

Eric forced a relaxed smile, peering intently at the whole group staring so hard back at him, noting a new girl slipping into their ranks to clasp Richard’s hand, for all that Ron scowled at her with an odd mixture of ire and protective worry. He couldn’t help smiling, relieved to see that the icy beauty now gazing at him so imperiously with her baby blues that coordinated perfectly with her fine silk robes and obvious wizard’s staff had made what appeared to be a full recovery from the minotaurs that had tried so hard to kill her.

Thank goodness for high vitality and that natural regeneration that they all no doubt had.

Of course, the first words she said quickly put him in his place.

“How the fuck does he know about our parents?”

Eric winced at how fast increasingly thoughtful looks, even sympathy, turned to cold, defensive hostility. Jack had the grace to look away, as if ashamed.

Eric quickly raised his hands. “Hey, I’m not judging. No, seriously, will all the shit my family got into, once upon a time? You won’t see me preaching any self-righteous bullshit. Scout’s honor. Did you see Gilton after the orcs took over? Fucking mess. It was a slaughter. I hear they tried to actually fight back, armed with absolutely nothing but desperation and police batons, since no guns were working. No guns save orc muskets that are basically ten-gauge shotguns, and fucking cannon.”

He gave a sad shake of his head. “The humans didn’t have a fucking chance. They just got slaughtered, and when I came out, Gilton was a ruin full of desperate people who lived on rats and roof-grown crops at best, or were just herded for the pods and eaten along with the rats by the orcs. If you can tell me that your families negotiated for anything better than that, then you’re parents are fucking heroes in my book.”

Eric kept his nonchalant smile firmly in pace when angry defensive glares were mollified. And if Yuki’s hard smirk made it clear that she knew he was halfway lying… he was still halfway telling the truth as well. They might be slimy sellouts who made a killing selling out the city… and they might have saved tens of thousands of lives while doing so. And Eric had absolutely no intention of striking their families no matter where the future led him, so the rest, as far as he was concerned, was moot.

Yuki snorted and looked away.

“That’s right,” the blond girl’s glare softened into a defensive scowl. “Our families aren’t idealistic fools. We know how the world works, and we know what it means to build financial empires… and how to keep our employees safe and fed in uncertain times.”

This earned a mocking smile from Steve and an eye-roll from Jack, but neither said anything contradictory, Richard himself giving a tired smile.

“It’s true. Our parents were some of New York’s biggest movers and shakers, once upon a time.”

“Speak for yourself,” Jack snorted.

Richard smirked. “What I’m saying is that our parents had an eye for talent, negotiation, and survival. We’re we rich? Sure. But we always put the wellbeing of our community, our employees, first. And when it became clear that America’s technological advantages over primitive weapon-wielding barbarians had been eliminated in a single catastrophic incident, and that the so-called barbarians we found ourselves negotiating with had the advantage of levels and magic that we could scarce conceive of, outside video games… our only option left was compromise. To embrace the dignity of a protectorate, as opposed to the disgrace of our entire population being enslaved.”

Richard sighed, looking off into the distance, lips hardening in bittersweet memories, Eric guessed. “Sometimes, life is all about compromise. And far better a twelve-hour work day that ends with a full belly, a warm roof over your head, and good company, drinks, and entertainment to look forward to, just like New York in the 19th century, than for the city to be slaughtered wholesale. Wouldn’t you agree, Eric?”

Eric nodded easily enough, glad he was now able to read between the lines. And he certainly wasn’t going to ask what percentage of New York’s population were happily productive, working people, and what percentage had been sold off or forced to work in farms or mines in less than ideal conditions. Because none of that was Richard’s fault, or any of their faults. And for all Eric knew, their parents really had struck a deal with the invading devils that was a hell of a lot better for New York’s millions than to just be slaughtered wholesale.

Didn’t mean he wasn’t going to improoove things in his own special way, when the time came. But not being an idiot, with Yuki gazing at him way too intently, he quickly tucked those extraneous thoughts away in a tight little box of furious glee he’d only open when he got out of there alive.

“It really is all about compromise. And I’m glad that your parents were able to negotiate for the safety of as many people as possible while securing the futures of their sons and daughters. Because what right-thinking parent, either rich or poor, wouldn’t make that their number one priority?”

Eric flashed a surprisingly sincere smile. “So your parents managed to secure you access to some sweet Advanced classes and I’m guessing access to a Tier 1 Ascension pod. Good for you, and I fucking mean that! It’s a hard world, and we need all the future champions we can get.” Eric’s smile faded. “My only question for you now is, knowing that the gnoll faction that made all those promises to your families is actively seeking your deaths… what do you all plan on doing about it?”

That was when they heard it, the distant bellow of yet another minotaur.

Blondie’s haughty features instantly paled. She trembled, leaning into Richard as he wrapped his arms around her. “Oh no, not again. I’m tired, Richy, I just want to get out of here!”

“And we’re going to make that happen,” Ron said, hovering protectively over her, “I promise you.”

Her lips stretched in a strained smile. “I know, Ron. Thank you. As always.”

The man swallowed, visibly moved but those simple words. “It’s my duty. You know that.”

She looked up, gazing at the gruff-looking man who had been glaring so hard at Eric as if he were a beloved uncle. She clasped and squeezed his hand. “You’re far more than my bodyguard, Ron. You’re part of the Rising Phoenix.” She swallowed, looking as moved as the older man did. “You’re family.”

“And he’s also an Ace tank!” Steve snapped. “And right now you’re hogging the tanks, Emily. So let’s cut the emotional scene, swear the new-blood in, and get ourselves in position. Because we’re about to get company!”

Richard sighed, giving Emily a final squeeze before turning around, the shield once more on his arm took on a golden glow as he glared Eric’s way.

“Do you swear to fight by our side in good faith, and that you won’t do anything to injure, maim, or kill us or otherwise fuck with us maliciously until we’re all out of this dungeon, at which point we will agree to part ways amicably, a permanent cease-fire between us?”

“And no reporting any details of us to any Sylvan friends you might have!” Emily added.

Eric quickly nodded. “Yes. Absolutely. So long as you all also promise not to injure, maim, or kill me, and to let me fight at full capacity while I’m here in this dungeon with you, I’m more than happy to fight by your side! And that most definitely includes a permanent ‘cease-fire’ by the time we leave. Hell, we might even be friends!” He flashed Emily a quick strained smile. “And I promise I won’t be reporting anything about any of you to any Sylvan acquaintance I might have, unless and until you say otherwise. And believe me, I have no plan on stepping inside any Sylvan territory any time soon!”

Richard exchanged anxious glances with his friends. “Guys?”

Steve nodded, Ron glared but eventually dipped his head. Emily gave him a look perfectly suited to an ice princess.

“Did you really save my life?” she whispered, before her eyes widened, as if surprised by her own words.

Eric grinned. “Maybe it’s you saving my life by freeing me of this collar and letting me fight by your side, and I should be the one thanking you.”

Emily’s scowl turned to a snarky smile. “I guess that would even the scales between us. Good.”

She then turned to Jack. “Jack?”

“Yes, we’re all friends. Great! Can we hurry this up and get into position?”

Richard turned to Yuki, who crossed her arms, glaring Eric’s way.

“Yuki?”

Even Richard flinched at the sound of minotaurs rapidly approaching.

Yuki glared. “This stinks to high heaven on so many levels.”

“Yuki!” Jack snapped. “We don’t have time for bullshit!”

Eric held Yuki’s gaze. “It really does, for a hell of a lot of reasons. Believe me, no one knows that better than me. I’m the one with a fucking collar on my neck, after trying to keep my girl and her kid from being sold as goblin slaves. But that’s not really your concern, am I right? All that matters is whether I’ve been telling the truth, or lying my ass off.” His eyes bored into Yuki’s dark orbs as the tension grew. “Well, Yuki? Have I been shooting straight or telling lies?”

“You’re no saint!” She hissed. “You reek of blood!”

“Well of course he does,” Steve snapped, looking worriedly down the corridor where multiple bellows could be heard. “He’s clearly some sort of Bloodmage Archer hybrid. I mean, bone bow and blood covering everything he owns, including himself? So… yeah. I’d rather have him on our side with an oath to play nice and those arrows of his in the minotaurs, not us.”

He pointed at the minotaur with the superheated arrow Eric still hadn’t had a chance to claim. “I mean, fuck it. Level 60 giant minotaur, his skull now a crispy pile of charred bone and ash. And the rest of the body’s still burning!” Steve frowned his head thoughtfully. “Kinda reminds me of my flames, actually. Hey… Eric, right? Do you know anything about using BlackFire?”

Eric flashed the intent-looking Steve a friendly smile. “I’m afraid not, but I’ll be happy to trade notes with you, sometime in the future. Maybe we can both find ways to enhance our builds.”

Steve grinned. “Yeah, that would be sweet.”

Richard’s jaw clenched…. “Steve, now’s not the time. Yuki?”

“Fine!” She snapped, glaring at Eric even as she shook his hand. “Welcome to the fucking group. I don’t know what you’re game is, but we want nothing to do with it! Are we clear?”

“Crystal,” Eric said, holding her gaze. “Now, if you’d all like me at full fighting capacity, would you mind kindly popping the lock on my collar?”

The group grew silent, intent gazes now locking on Eric’s mithril collar.

Eric forced a smile. “I mean, I’m sorry to presume. I just, well, when next I see my girl, I’d rather it not be wearing this. It will make it pretty hard on both of us. And more importantly for our immediate survival… remember how I said that some people actually had the option to buy an Extradimensional Storage Spaces from the get go?”

“Yeah, which would be a stupid move,” Steven noted, glaring Eric’s way.

Eric smirked. “Yet if someone had chosen to waste a ‘precious’ node on such a thing, now, with minimal supplies, deep behind enemy lines, is when a gift like that would truly shine.”

Yuki glared. “Maybe… maybe when we’re actually out of here in one piece… I could do you that favor. But you’ll owe me big, Eric, because sure as hell, you’re not getting into polite society anywhere with that around your neck, and I’ll bet there are a dozen bounty hunters and slavers that would take that as an automatic green light to hunt you down and claim you as their own.”

She flashed a wicked smile. “In fact, I know for a fact that’s the case.”

“And we will do nothing to alert anyone to the status of our new friend,” Richard said, his gaze hardening. “Because the Rising Phoenix, unlike certain treacherous consortiums, gives its word in good faith and keeps it.”

Yuki shrugged. “Of course. But if he thinks I’m popping that collar now, before we get out of here safely...”

Eric’s eyes widened, 180+ Perception catching sight of what the others were missing. “The minotaurs will be here in less than thirty seconds. And Yuki...” He held her gaze. “How are you guys for food...and fresh water?”

Richard’s eyes widened in alarm. “Shit. We were supposed to switch out today!”

Yuki glared. “Why don’t you tie my hands while you have me negotiate, Richard? It would make things so much easier.”

Eric sighed, gazing at the massive minotaurs that had sown such chaos, and the damaged fort.

“Besides water… my ES Space, and yes, I have one, don’t say anything, Steve… would also let me turn those minotaurs into something very useful.”

He held Yuki’s cynical gaze. “I can repair your fort with a bit of time and resources. At least to a point… and offer you all some cold water when its done. But only if this collar is off my fucking neck.”

The girl’s stare hardened. As if she were trying to peer into his very soul.

“I owe him,” Emily whispered, like the words physically hurt. “Please, Yuki. Help me clean the slate?”

“Fine!” She snapped as the din of approaching monstrosities grew louder.

Eric did his absolute best to calm his racing heart, palms clammy with desperate worry that something would go horribly wrong or another twist would leave him stuck with this collar and the laughter of his foes and he kept his eyes desperately open for some last minute catch…

“If I can pop that collar off your neck, you’ll be sharing your food and water with us, and whatever skills you got that can help us fix our fort. And, you’ll owe me a personal favor!” Yuki declared as she approached.

“I’m not going to hurt myself or anyone else, or give you everything I own or anything like that, Yuki.” Eric flashed a cynical smile. “I’m no one’s hit man or a chump. But one favor, within reason, that we both agree upon?” He nodded solemnly. “It’s yours.”

She glared at him, her gaze hard as ice for long moments, before finally nodding. “Deal.”

With a single flick of Yuki’s finger dipped in shadow, the mithril collar that had been such an abominable nightmare, that even Rank 30 in Blood Mastery and multiple essences under his command were helpless to get rid of… popped off his neck.

And as simple as that, he was free.

He fell to his knees, no longer hiding the flood of emotions overwhelming him, the tears springing from his eyes as he trembled, kneeling, glaring at the collar.

He had no idea at all why the group suddenly lurched away from him, gazing at him as if he were suddenly more of a threat than the bull-headed abominations headed their way.

Emily took a shuddering breath, staring down at what had clanged to the ground by his feet. “Wait, guys, that’s not a slave collar. That’s a fucking mithril kill-collar!”

“Who the fuck is this asshole?” Ron snarled with a curse.

Steve whistled. “Mithril. Bronze-tier. And it had totally been suppressing him. His potency... are you guys feeling this? I mean, that shout should have given it away, but this boy’s a fucking monster!”

“Jeezus,” Jack whispered. “Just look at him. Shaking like a leaf. They really fucked you up bad, didn’t they?”

Eric could feel their intent gazes boring into the back of his head as he shook with a flood of emotions he absolutely hadn’t been expecting.

“Good,” Emily whispered. “Now… now I feel like we’re truly square.”

“We are,” Eric said, his voice raw and ragged, turning to gaze at Emily with red-rimmed eyes. He swallowed the lump in his throat, pretending it didn’t sadden him, the way she flinched and stumbled back. “You did me a serious good turn there, Emily. I won’t forget it.”

He turned his gaze Yuki’s way. The petite Japanese girl was now giving him the strangest look, her naginata in front of her as if she expected him to strike her dead. “You were fronting!” She accused, eyes widening with fear. “You’re way too fucking strong, and you’re not bound to any word at all! Just who the fuck are you?”

Eric blinked, confused, before shaking it away, voice filled with sincerest gratitude. “You freed me from the worst nightmare you can imagine.” He gave her his most heartfelt smile. “I’m not going to forget this, Yuki.”

“Shit, now I wish you would.”

Eric smiled through his tears. “I can’t tell you how much I want to hug you right now.”

“Please don’t.”

Eric laughed, long and loud, before roaring all his hate and fury and hope and relief in one furious shout.

Your allies fail to save versus Dragon Fear!

Eric winced, surprise to see his new boon companions, stumbling back, gazing at him with something close to horror.

“Um, yeah… sorry about that.” He offered with a shy smile, still feeling overwhelmed by the emotions brimming in his chest. “It’s just, I can’t...” He blinked back tears, turning his gaze toward the fifteen foot tall monsters that had been plodding towards them before were now roaring and charging their way, massive steel battle axes held high as they charged directly towards him, as if in answer of his battle cry.

“Fuck! Get your game faces on, people!” Jack screamed, the first to snap out of his daze. “And you! Eric! Quit screaming like an orc berserker! This is neither the time nor the place!”

Eric winced, duly chastised as he kitted up in soul-linked gambeson and lizard armor in the literal blink of an eye. “Noted!” He said, feeling such a rush of ebullition and relief when he instantly reclaimed his already soul-bound bone arrows and quivers, flipping them right into storage before darting for the three fallen minotaurs, slamming a palm to each and claiming them all into his ES Space as effortlessly as breathing.

He ignored the awed whispers and soft curses behind him. “Where do you want me? Sniping? Tank? DPS? Or building up the fort?”

“Snipe! We know you can do that!” Rich shouted while organizing his team. “We’ll fix up the fort as soon as we’ve taken these assholes out!”